No. 155 April 2017 Amanda Harvey Purse THE LIVES OF PC LOUIS ROBINSON and PC GEORGE SIMMONS TWO CONTEMPORARY AN INTERVIEW WITH DEAR RIP SWEDISH RIPPER PAMPHLETS ONE-ARMED LIZ Your Letters and Comments by Jan Bondeson by Nina and Howard Brown VICTORIAN FICTION THE DIFFICULTY OF THE MURDER OF by Erckmann-Chatrian DISTINGUISHING REAL FROM ELIZABETH JEFFS FAKE HISTORY IN RIPPEROLOGY by Jan Bondeson BOOK REVIEWS by Christopher T George Ripperologist 118 January 2011 1 Ripperologist 155 April 2017 EDITORIAL: PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES Adam Wood “MAKING AN IMPRESSION OF A FIRE ENGINE?” PC LOUIS FREDERICK ROBINSON AND PC GEORGE SIMMONS Amanda Harvey Purse TWO CONTEMPORARY SWEDISH PAMPHLETS ABOUT JACK THE RIPPER Jan Bondeson THE DIFFICULTY OF DISTINGUISHING REAL FROM FAKE HISTORY IN RIPPEROLOGY Christopher T George THE MURDER OF ELIZABETH JEFFS Jan Bondeson AN INTERVIEW WITH ONE-ARMED LIZ Nina and Howard Brown DEAR RIP Your letters and comments VICTORIAN FICTION: THE SPIDER OF GUYANA By Erckmann-Chatrian BOOK REVIEWS Ripperologist magazine is published by Mango Books (www.mangobooks.co.uk). The views, conclusions and opinions expressed in signed articles, essays, letters and other items published in Ripperologist Ripperologist, its editors or the publisher. The views, conclusions and opinions expressed in unsigned articles, essays, news reports, reviews and other items published in Ripperologist are the responsibility of Ripperologist and its editorial team, but are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, conclusions and opinions of doWe not occasionally necessarily use reflect material the weopinions believe of has the been publisher. placed in the public domain. It is not always possible to identify and contact the copyright holder; if you claim ownership of something we have published we will be pleased to make a proper acknowledgement. The contents of Ripperologist No. 155, April 2017, including the compilation of all materials and the unsigned articles, essays, news reports, reviews and other items are copyright © 2017 Ripperologist/Mango Books. The authors of signed articles, essays, letters, news reports, reviews and other items retain the copyright of their respective contributions. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise circulated in any form or by any means, including digital, electronic, printed, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other, without the prior permission in writing from Mango Books. The unauthorised reproduction or circulation of agreements and give rise to civil liability and criminal prosecution. this publication or any part thereof, whether for monetary gain or not, is strictly prohibited and may constitute copyright infringement as defined in domestic laws and international Pack Up Your Troubles ADAM WOOD, Executive Editor The East End of the late 18th century was, for hundreds of its inhabitants, a place EXECUTIVE EDITOR of temporary accommodation: a bed in the lodging house for the night for many, Adam Wood a quiet doorway or the workhouse for others. EDITORS Although thankfully not with the same regularity, I’ve moved house myself a fair Gareth Williams few times over the years - my father’s address book contains more pages with crossed- Eduardo Zinna out entries under my name than everyone else put together - and in fact over the past REVIEWS EDITOR few weeks I’ve moved again, which is the reason this edition of Ripperologist has been Paul Begg slightly delayed. EDITOR-AT-LARGE As now, in the era concerning those of us interested in the Whitechapel murders, Christopher T George the removals business was big business. COLUMNISTS Charles Lechmere, the discoverer-of-Polly-Nichols’-body-cum-Ripper-suspect Nina and Howard Brown David Green worked for Pickfords, perhaps the most famous name in the business, and indeed was on his way to his work at their Broad Street depot when he came across her body / was ARTWORK interrupted by Robert Paul (delete as preferred). Adam Wood Pickfords had been established in Cheshire, north west England in 1646, when presented an opportunity to generate income from the return journey by carrying Thomas Pickford realised that the firm’s business of reparing roads using packhorses goods for other parties. By 1740 the company had expanded to London, and at the turn of the 19th century owned a fleet of horses, wagons and canal boats. Joseph Baxendale period of expansion as the railway network raced across the country. The Pickford’s acquired the firm in 1817, retaining the long-established name, and oversaw a rapid horse vehicles and 46 motor vehicles. website claims that between 1918 and 1921 their fleet included 1,580 horses, 1,900 Much smaller operations existed of course, such as Frederick Hogg’s furniture removals business in north London, at which his brother Frank Hogg worked at the Ripperologist magazine is free time of his affair with Mary Pearcey. of charge and supplied in digital format. Another cart driver, this time delivering goods rather than furniture, was a young Back issues from 62-154 are available in PDF format. on Goswell Road in the City. Six years later he joined the City of London Police. Starting Louis Robinson, who in 1880 worked for Messrs Copestake, Hughes, Crampton & Co. An index to Ripperologist magazine on the next page, Amanda Harvey Purse describes how Louis would later encounter can be downloaded from a drunken Catherine Eddowes on Aldgate High Street, taking her into custody and, ripperologist.biz/ripindex.pdf hours later, her eventual doom. Amanda’s article is an extract from her forthcoming To be added to the mailing list, to book, Jack and Old Jewry submit a book for review or to place involved in the hunt for the Ripper following the murder in Mitre Square. an advertisement, get in touch at , which details the lives and backgrounds of those City officers Elsewhere, Chris George looks at the problem of fake history in Ripperology, while [email protected]. Howard and Nina Brown unearth a newspaper interview with ‘One-Armed Liz’, friend We welcome well-researched to Elisabeth Stride. articles on any aspect of the Whitechapel murders, the East End Enjoy the issue. or the Victorian era in general. Ripperologist 155 April 2017 Making an Impression of a Fire Engine? PC Louis Frederick Robinson and PC George Simmons By AMANDA HARVEY PURSE In the early hours of 30th September 1888, the The family, completed by siblings Annie,2 Emma,3 Allen,4 City of London Police force went from being a close Henrietta,5 Edwin,6 Clara7 and Reginald, lived in the small bystander to having an active involvement into the 8 9 mainly investigation of the world’s most famous murder case a farming village. All the Robinson children were baptised village of Therfield, near Royston in Hertfordshire, with the death of one woman: Catherine Eddowes. at St Mary’s church, including Louis on 24th September Amanda Harvey Purse’s book Jack and Old Jewry: The City of London Policemen Who Hunted The Ripper 1865. details the force’s participation in the investigation, Cottage, which ironically stood near a street called Police and looks at the individual lives of those officers By 1871, the Robinson family lived at 72 Groom’s Row. Joining the Robinsons in this small farmer’s cottage involved. The following article, an extract from was one William Tott, recorded as Edward Robinson’s the book, features PCs Louis Robinson and George stepson.10 This has led to the suggestion that Louis’s Simmons, who, just hours before her murder, mother, Ellen, had been married before, but as her maiden discovered the drunken Catherine Eddowes and took her to Bishopsgate Police Station. name was Tott it is likely that she had given birth to William outside of wedlock. Edward Robinson worked as a gardener at this time, LOUIS ROBINSON with eldest son Allen working as a farmer. All the other PC Louis Robinson was only 23-years-old when he children were in school, including 5-year-old Louis. became entangled in the greatest mystery the Victorians had ever known. He had no idea when he started his beat on the night of 29th September 1888 that his meeting 1 Records of St Mary’s church, Therfield. with a woman along Aldgate High Street would have such Kennett. dramatic consequences. 2 Born 25th November 1850. Annie would later marry George Asylum, Bedfordshire, built to replace Bedford Lunatic Asylum which Had he turned into Aldgate High Street a few seconds 3 Born 21st January 1853. Emma ended her days in Arlesey Lunatic earlier, or later than he did, she may have managed to half mile long. walk a few more steps into Metropolitan Police territory. had been built in 1812. It had the longest corridor in Britain at about a She would have been nowhere near Mitre Square at half 4 Born 18th October 1856, Allen later married Annie Bolton. past one the following morning and her life would not have although where is not known. 5 Born 28th January 1859, Henrietta was also confined to an asylum, ended in the way it did. 6 Born 19th November 1861, Edwin later went on to marry Lizzie Sadly, this did not happen… Copestakes, where his younger brother Louis once did. Preston on his 26th birthday in 1887. At the time he was working at Ellen Tott, who married in Reed, Hertfordshire, on 9th July Born on 13th August 1865 to Edward Robinson and 7 Born 3rd December 1867. Clara died aged 15. 1 Louis Frederick Robinson was the sixth child born 8 Born 6th May 1869, Reginald also died young, at just 16-years-old. to the family. 1849, 9 Records of St Mary’s church, Therfield.